Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. This is my first time posting here... please forgive my lack of knowlege.

Recently my husband and decided to look into getting a turtle as a family pet. We went to our local pet store and inquired as to how to get a turtle. While the pet store owner does not normally deal in turtles he does have a 3 toed box turtle he recently nursed back to health. (he recieved it from someone who no longer wanted to take care of it) We would very much like to make this soon to be member of our family "comfy" and while we have a comfortablely sized home for her and a heat lamp we would like to know the particulars of taking care of a three toed box turtle. (what they eat, what watt heat bulb they need, toys(lord knows no one around here goes without their toys so why should the turtle)?, ect) We would be most appriciative of anyone out there who would be willing to share their knowledge.

you picked a really bad time of year to get a box turtle..
box turtles do best OUTSIDE.. really.. I dont think this can be said enough, inside they're(IMO) more likely to get ill(Upper Resperitory Infections, Metabolic Bone Disease.. Ect.).. Dont get me wrong I know turtles can get ill outside but in my experience they are more likely to become ill inside.. rather than out.
a balanced diet is important, protien, greens, veggies, fruits..
I dont have the percentages memorized.. someone else will surely help you out though.

I dont understand your goal for getting a turtle, they really dont like being handled, they're not an animal that can be happily housed in an aquarium, and inside the expences can add up, and they can get time consuming, misting, soaking, preparing food, feeding,
food preperation for a couple of weeks can take hours.
I'm not trying to discourage you.. or be harsh I'm just trying to help you understand that box turtles aren't for everyone.. and you should really.. REALLY research them big time before picking one out, learn what signs of illness are, URIs' and low humidity can look the same if your not experienced.

Tess Cook ( a host on this forum) has an extensive care site for box turtles. I believe it's www.boxturtlesite.com. Good luck!

http://www.boxturtlesite.org

Box turtles are very interesting pets in the same vein as fish but with a lot more personality. But just like with fish, where the value of having them is in trying to maintain them in an ideal enviroment so the animal flourishes and survives to old age, turtles do not make good family pets if what you are looking for is something the family can play with. Many are easily stressed at handleing. And turtles should not be played with by young children. They are very expensive to maintain in an indoor enviroment and will be quite unhappy unless they have a very large indoor enclosure.

If you can provide for an outdoor pen during the warmer months and understand that a turtle will not be a pet like a dog or cat, then go ahead and get this Three-toed. I think your family sounds very nice and will probably make a good home for any pet. Also, if you have small children in your family ask that they do not touch the turtle, or if they do they must wash their hands. Turtles can transmit Salmonella to people (don't fear this because all sorts of things in the home can do the very same thing!) but you should be aware of it if you buy any reptile.
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Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host